


To Keep You Safe

by notanotherscreenname



Series: A Casteless With a Big Mouth. [2]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 09:07:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6111712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notanotherscreenname/pseuds/notanotherscreenname
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The day after Natia's sweet sixteen Beraht comes calling on Rica and Jarvia has more work for Nat and Leske.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Keep You Safe

    Natia woke with Leskes head resting on the small of her back and her own head nestled on Ricas shoulder. It took several minutes to regain enough control of her mind to take in the situation and then a few more before she remembered the three of them emptying a bottle of whiskey the night before. She shifted her weight trying to get out from under Leske without waking him. She had almost made it when she nudged Rica causing her to cry out which made Natia jump. The result of the chain reaction was Natia arching her hips upward sending Leskes head thumping down onto the pallet they had passed out on.   
  
    All three of them sat up nursing their heads trying desperately to not make any sudden movements or sounds. Rica was the first to stand up, and then lurch forward to the chamber pot to release the contents of her stomach. When she was finished she slid down to the floor pooling herself into the fetal position waiting to die.   
  
    Leske was the next to stand up, his bladder was full and in desperate need for a piss but he didn’t want to attempt to use the pot Rica was lying next to. He stumbled into the alley behind the one room hovel the girls lived in with their mother. He braced himself against the wall with a forearm as he tugged his laces loose and relieved himself. He let out a drawn out sigh ending in a grunt as he noticed two women staring at him and laughing.   
  
    “What,” he asked, mind still hazy enough to not realize at first that his dick was in full view of them and the entire street. He then realized that had gone through the front door rather than the back. He looked back up to the women and said, “uh, sorry. Thought I was in the back alley.” When one of the women snickered again as she looked down he said, “hey, I’m a grower not a shower.”  
  
    He turned away from them as he stuffed himself back into his breeches and pushed back through the door. Once inside he found Natia sitting up at the table. She had a cup of water clutched between her hands staring into it searching for the cure to her hangover. He plopped down beside her and asked where Rica was. The reply was a grunt that she might have meant to be a word and an indicating elbow nudged toward a curtain that was drawn across the corner of the room for privacy.  
  
    Right on cue Rica parted the curtain enough to poke her head through and said, “Leske, could you run and fill the water bucket please? I need to get cleaned up before Beraht gets here.”  
  
    That reminded Natia of the previous day and what she had done. The whiskey had done a fine job of clouding her mind and making her forget but now that she remembered the phantom scent of blood filled her mouth and nose. With another word turned grunt she slid her head down to the table top resting her cheek against the cool surface to combat the sudden nausea she felt. She braced her hands against the back of her head in an attempt to steady herself but couldn’t hold the bile back any longer. With a jolt sideways from her chair she made it to her hands and knees before retching on the stone floor.   
  
    Leske helped her stand and then ushered her back to the pallet she and Rica shared. He then took the chamber pot out the back door into the alley and emptied it. He placed it close enough to Natia that she could make it to the pot if she needed to heave but far enough away that he hoped she couldn’t smell it. He stroked her hair one time then left with the bucket to fetch water for Rica.   
  
    Rica sent Leske out again twice. The first time was to refill the water bucket a second time so she could clean up after Natia, the second time was to the Commons to buy tea and fancy cookies to serve when Beraht came. By then Natia had recovered enough to be upright and speaking in full sentences but her mood was more foul than the contents of the chamber pot. She’d gone out searching for their mother and found her passed out in an alley with an empty bottle of moss wine. She left Kalah there, no point in bringing the drunk back with her. It wasn’t like Kalah would have been much help anyway. Sod it, she probably would have fully endorsed Beraht as a Paragon of virtue for “employing” the casteless.  
  
    A few hours later Beraht and Jarvia turned up with a few thugs hovering around them like flies. Jarvia immediately found Natia and said, “how’s my new favorite toy soldier doing today?”  
  
    Natia scowled and turned her head slowly doing her best to hide the ache still punching behind her eyes. She wanted to do Jarvia what she had done to the fighter in the commons. No. He had been no one to her, she didn’t want to hurt him. She wanted to take her time with Jarvia, make her understand just what she’d done yesterday, what she had taken from Natia. She allowed herself the fantasy but knowing what would happen to Rica she reigned her rage in and stuffed it down hiding it for now. She settled on jerking the Carta lieutenants chain instead, “have we met?”  
  
    Leske seemed to always be there to rescue her when her mouth was about to get her in trouble. He laughed and mussed her hair gently, she’s just hung over. That bottle of whiskey made for a fine birthday celebration didn’t it?”  
  
    Jarvia didn’t wait for an answer, instead she prodded Natia out of her chair and said, “let’s go. I’ve got another job for you two.”  
  
    “Nuh uh. I’m not leaving Rica here alone.”  
  
    Natia dug her heels in but Jarvia fisted her collar and slammed her into the nearest wall palming her face with the other hand. “You will do whatever the fuck I want you to do or I’ll declare open season on that pretty sister of yours. Every duster in Orzamar will have his way with her and I’ll make sure you watch.” She ground Natias face into the wall before releasing her with a shove. “Now get your ass moving.”  
  
    Leske grasped her elbow ushering her to the door with Jarvia and the other thugs behind them to leave Beraht alone with Rica. She caught the sight of Ricas face on the way and the helpless look she found made her want to rewind the day and force Kalah to come home. Not that Kalah would have been much help but she’d at least be an obstacle in Berahts way.   
  
    Beraht stopped them just before they got to the door. “Hold on a minute Jarvia. I haven’t met your new recruits.” He passed an eye over Leske all but dismissing him before moving on to Natia. “Jarvia tells me yesterday was your birthday. How old are you?”  
  
    Natia worked her jaw forcing down the insults she wanted to hurl at him, “sixteen.”  
  
    “Hmm, sweet sixteen. How old does that make your sister?”  
  
    “Twenty one,” she’d been grinding her teeth so the words came out as a hiss.  
  
    “Mmmm good to know.” he patted her cheek in mock affection, “run along like a good girl now and let the adults talk.”  
  
    Jarvia herded them all to Tapsters. She instructed them to wait at the back door while she flushed a shop owner overdue on his “protection fees” out. Once he was in the alley they all took turns bouncing him from ones fists to another’s foot and back. Natia stayed out of the fray watching but not participating so Jarvia stalled the fight to drag Natia in. When she didn’t cooperate Jarvia told the others to form a circle around the merchant and Natia.  
  
    “Now either you crack this sods skull or they crack yours.”  
  
    Natia looked down at her feet for a moment before looking back up defiantly. “Let them.”  
  
    Leske rushed up to her cupping her face in two hands, “Nat, just do what she says. You don’t have a choice.” He stroked his thumb over her jaw as she clenched it tight. “Please don’t make me hurt you.”  
  
    His eyes showed real remorse when he saw the impact of his words hit her. “We all have choices. I choose to take a beating instead of giving one. I’ll understand if you don’t.”  
  
    Jarvia shoved Leske away, “so you’re fearless huh? At least when it comes to your own body. How’s about instead of you taking the beating it’s precious Rica? What then?”  
  
    Natia rounded on her, more and more rage seeping into her words as she spoke. “You know, you keep threatening me with that but Beraht didn’t seem too keen on the idea. You might be close to the top but he still pulls your strings and I don’t think he’d let you harm his newest investment before she pays off.”  
  
    Jarvia grinned, “as long as we pump her full of elfroot and make sure she’s not scarred up he’d probably want to watch.” A round of chuckles from the men around them sent the message home and Jarvia pushed Natia back toward the merchant. “Now do your job.”  
  
    Natia set her lips in a hard line and stalked her way up to him. Choices were all well and good when they only harmed her but she wouldn’t indulge in defiance when it was Ricas life in the balance and Jarvia knew it. With a quick glance at Leske who spared her a small shrug and a nod Natia cocked her hip and kicked the man kneeling in front of her in the face. Blood spewed from his mouth and nose and he rocked back crashing into the ground. Natia set about kicking him from every angle she could reach, utilizing the thick muscles of her thighs to power each attack. With each kick the world faded into the back of her mind until all she knew was the violence she was committing. Eventually when the world was little more than background noise she found that she was enjoying herself. Each time her foot connected with a body part she analyzed the effectiveness of the move, how it made the man lurch and writhe trying to hide his vitals from her onslaught.   
  
    When Leske dragged her away from the bloody mess of a man she was panting and dripping with sweat and blood but smiling manically. The other Carta members around them had widened the circle to avoid her but Jarvia was at her side applauding. “Look at what a good girl you were. He’s never ever going to think about shorting Beraht again. You’ve got a real knack for this you know. You remind me of me. Only uglier. Those long legs come in handy though don’t they?”  
  
    Before her mind caught up with her body Natia had Jarvia by the throat riding her to the ground until she was straddling the woman. She paused once she had Jarvia down, giving her enough time to buck her hips and send Natia backwards onto her ass.   
  
    “For that we’re going to see if you can take it as well as you dish it out.” She motioned to the others, “hold her down.”  
  
    The thugs gathered around, falling on her but Leske held back. He melded into the shadows and in her anger Jarvia forgot about him. She descended on Natia like a rock slide. Kicking, punching and gouging with claw like nails. Natia clenched her jaw working it back and forth like a saw until the grinding was audible but that was the only sound she made. When Jarvia was too tired to continue she had the others take turns until Natia resembled the merchant she had worked over earlier.   
  
    Finally Natia was allowed to sit up and Leske was sliding on his knees in the dirt in his haste to reach her. Jarvia chose to ignore him once again and put two elfroot potions in Natias lap then turned to walk away. The others came to her heels like well trained dogs leaving the two of them in the alley. Leske helped her drink the first bottle then she down the second without help.  
          
    She was mostly healed but her muscles all protested as she and Leske walked back home. On the way Natia detoured them to the alley she’d found Kalah in to check on her. She was still breathing but the bottle clutched in her hand was fresh this time. No doubt a “gift” from Beraht to keep her occupied. They left her there, deciding Rica didn’t need to see the state she was in today.  
  
    By the time they made it back home hours had passed and they were both exhausted. Natia leaned into the door as she entered it finding Beraht sitting at the table shirtless smoking a pipe and blowing rings out of his smug face. Rica was standing behind him, braids undone and messy, massaging his shoulders and silently pleading with Natia to not cause a scene.   
  
    Natia grabbed the water bucket and tossed it at Leske wordlessly, not trusting herself to speak without bringing a world of trouble down on all of them. Luckily he got the hint and went to the well to fetch more water. Natia went to the corner and drew the curtain then stripped herself down to her smalls. When Leske returned she cleaned herself up then dressed in a hand me down dress of Rica’s that hung off of her shoulders but covered her well enough for wash day.  
  
    By the time she was finished Beraht was gone and Rica was doing her best to avoid eye contact. That suited Natia, they each knew that the other had done something they weren’t proud of that day. They also knew that they’d shielded each other from the things they had to do to keep the other safe and taken care of.   
  
    Rica looked at Natias shoulder and said, “pack your stuff. Beraht wants us to move to a place with a bath and more than one room. I’m going to go find mother.”  
  
    Leske directed her to where they’d found Kalah earlier. When Rica was gone he landed on his knees in front of Natia. He pulled her to him burying his face in her stomach muffling the sound of his voice as he pleaded for forgiveness. Natia brushed a hand across his braids tugging gently on his ponytail to pull him up to face her.   
  
    “I told you I’d understand and I did. I do. If you had helped them I would have understood.” She untangled his arms and added, “if you had helped me and gotten yourself hurt I would’ve kicked your ass. I’m not worth the trouble. We’re just cave rats right?”  
  
    She gathered the few belongings she had and then packed for Rica and Kalah as well. She went with Rica to the new place Beraht had picked for them but after a cursory look she went back to their old place with Leske. They’d figured he might as well stay there since it would be empty anyway so he and Natia moved his belongings in. She spent the next two days there only returning to their new place when Rica asked her to. For the remainder of her time in Orzamar she spent as much time in Leskes place as she did Ricas but neither one was ever home again.


End file.
